That unattainable sea

Life gives claws that not only tear the skin. The blows that hurt the most, the ones that never finish healing, are those caused by the indifference of those who should pave the way for us. In this case, the road to the sea. That sea that we can only contemplate from a distant window, from a promenade. A sea that is, more than ever, an unattainable horizon. Inaccessible to those who cannot reach the shore on two legs.

Francisco Miguel and Isabel are reaching an age in which no one would have to claim something as essential as access to the sea. They are at that age where one aspires to enjoy small pleasures. The pleasure of going down to the beach, contemplating it deserted in winter and immersing yourself in the boisterous waters of summer. Ordinary pleasures. Not for him, who hasn’t been able to walk for nine years. Not for her, who finds it increasingly difficult to push her husband’s chair through places without accessibility.

Let’s not think about the sand on the beach. If only it were that simple… If getting to the promenade were just a matter of pushing the chair… Stairs, deadly ramps of ineptitude, the absurd accessibility solutions -only planned for the high season-… Although municipal taxes are paid all year round . It happens on many beaches, but what hurts them is that it happens on the one of their dreams, the one they chose to retire to years ago. A paradise in Almonte, Huelva, which only provides a few mobility support services in summer. Assistants who finish their working day at eight o’clock in the afternoon. Has anyone thought that old people can’t venture out into the hot summer sun at five or six in the evening to go to the beach?

When the sun is no longer so hot, Isabel prepares to push the chair. She spends an hour with her husband on the shore. At eight, the lifeguard approaches them. It’s time to go. Another day without beach. Another month. another summer. Claims, collection of signatures and in response, indifference. Winter arrives, sweet spring and the sea continues to be that unattainable horizon for people with reduced mobility in Matalascañas, Huelva.